video: Council Finance Committee Again Fails to Remove Igliozzi

Confusion reigned Thursday as members of the Providence City Council finance committee were again unable to remove chairman John Igliozzi from his post.

For the second time in a week, three members – vice chair Sam Zurier, David Salvatore and Sabina Matos— called a special meeting to oust Igliozzi, the veteran councilman who last month attempted to make changes to the city’s pension reform ordinance just days after voting in favor of it.

Salvatore was expected to be voted in as the new chairman.

But Igliozzi, carrying a fresh copy of Robert’s Rules of Order by his side, argued that the members could not remove him and attempted to adjourn. Assistant city solicitor Adrian Southgate and Matos then proceeded to get into shouting matches with Igliozzi as more than 20 people – including several members of the Taveras administration and former Councilman and city solicitor Charles Mansolillo— looked on.

Mansolillo was in attendance to support Igliozzi and remained in City Hall for the duration of the finance committee meeting and a special meeting of the Council. He spoke privately with several members of the committee and left the building with Igliozzi.

Similar events unfolded Monday when the members made a motion to reconsider Igliozzi’s position, but the chairman requested a written opinion from city solicitor Jeff Padwa and forced the meeting into a nearly three-hour recess before the members left City Hall.

Padwa’s opinion stated that the members could not use a motion to reconsider to oust Igliozzi, but that it could get rid of him using a motion to rescind. But Igliozzi refused to recognize Zurier when he attempted to make a motion, setting off another shouting match.

Igliozzi would later argue that the group was in violation of the Open Meetings Act because the committee used the wrong date when it called the meeting. That prompted Matos to chastise Igliozzi for prolonging a process she and her colleagues consider inevitable.

“The good guys have to win once in awhile,” Igliozzi said.

The members would later move to Council chambers for a special meeting of the full Council and the finance committee never reconvened. Asked what would happen next, Padwa said he would review the rules because, “I’m not sure anyone knows the answer.”

Several videos from the meeting are posted below. (Editor’s Note: I apologize that the video weren’t shot particularly well.)